zooplankton

[r0nH]

i was just wondering if anyone was growing their our rotifers and copepods. im thinking of trying it and was looking for any info or suggestions.

ron

 

[ReefCupid]

I just started to culture mine, once I get a good population to pass around, I'll let you know in the near future.

 

[Ntvper]

already got my copes n amps going rotifiers have none cept the frozen kind

but how to culture n pass em out to peeps i have no idea unless ya just stick your hand in the ref and wait till ya hand is full then pull it out

 

[ReefCupid]

I have 6 30Liter coke bottle running right now. Rotifers can be transfer into plastic bottle and culture with algae or rotifer diet.

 

[reign]

good info is on the clownfish book by Wilkinson . Also there is a rotifer manual for commercial usage that has good points..Or RC has a ton of stuff..

 

[r0nH]

would really appreciate any help getting the rotifers and copepods started. any pointers or dont do will really help. ive got a pair of mandarins in my 50 gal reef setup the male is doing good but the female was under fed when i got her so im trying to beef her up she looks better but is still too sunken-in for me to feel good. have got a small refugium setup on the tank with some chato and copepods in it but i dont feel im giving enough.

 

[ReefCupid]

Haha small world it was nice running into you at clark today!!

 

[r0nH]

yep, thanks for the input. its good to have a sounding board to bounce ideas and problems off. i still feel like a noob sometimes, its been 20 years since my last salt tank so im really starting over from scratch.

 

[ReefCupid]

Anytime, keep me updated with your tank hope you get everything resolve.

 

[r0nH]

added another powerhead to the tank will see if that helps at all. the female mandarin does not like the added flow but we will have to see how it looks in the morning and how a full day affects everything. will let you know on thurs.

 

[Greysoul]

You'd think with all our sun this would be an ideal location for some kind of commercial rotifer/phyto/pod farming...

I have a large commercial greenhouse, needs new plastic, that could be turned into a farm if someone were interested and knew more about the business side of selling live cultured food. I mean, is it a tight margin game where you have to be a multi-million dollar operation to see any profit, or could one 2000 sq ft green house be profitable as an aquaculture farm in Albuquerque?

 

[Ntvper]

if ya have the means n the know how ya can. but people either dont have the time, space, patience, know how, practice, or desire to do that. those that do already have

 

[ReefCupid]

90% of the hobbyist I know in state and out of state rarely uses live rotifer phyto or pod to feed their reef. The other 10% serious reefer who does usually culture their own right out of their basement including a few marine breeder I know like myself does it too. Not sure if its a good investment. Just my personal thought but I could be wrong. So dont shot me down for this..

 

[Ntvper]

i agree those serious enough or find that feeding rotifers enhance or fix the lacking colors do even adding a mini algae scrubber is a good source to breed rots n pods in a refigium and even helps control algae growth. the more natural your enclosed piece of ocean is the better things look n live

 

[Ntvper]

i agree those serious enough or those that find feeding rotifers enhance or fix the lacking colors do. Even adding a mini algae scrubber is a good source to breed rots n pods in a refigium and even helps control algae growth. the more natural your enclosed piece of ocean is the better things look n live

 

[r0nH]

there is a market for the product. its just to know how big that market is. if you can show the benefits that the product can have to the reef systems that we are trying to maintain we could create a larger demand for those products.

 

[r0nH]

grey,

sent you a pm with some more info let me know if you want to discuss some of the ideas.

thanks, ron